Monday, April 3, 2017

New Amish series -- The Seekers

If you have been a fan of Wanda Brunstetter's books for any time, you may have run across her Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club series. The Seekers is the beginning of The Amish Cooking Class series, reminiscent of those earlier books.

In The Seekers, Heidi (who is a niece of the quilting instructor) decides to give cooking lessons to help fill up her days as a childless Amish wife. The students who sign up for her classes come from quite a range of circumstances and needs and offer a much larger challenge than Heidi could have expected. It quickly becomes apparent that there are much bigger issues at play than just learning to follow a recipe.

The story is pretty formulaic and predictable, especially with the connection to the previous series. The unique characters, though, each add their own element of interest to the story. Fans of Wanda's writing and other Amish fiction should find The Seekers worth their time.

Thanks to the author and her publisher for providing me a copy of this book. I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

About the Book:

Will Heidi's cooking lessons turn into life lessons for five unlikely students?

Heidi Troyer cooks up the idea of teaching classes in the art of Amish
cuisine in her Holmes County, Ohio, home. But is it a recipe for drama
when five very different men and women answer the advertisement?

Join a class of unlikely Ohioans who take cooking lessons at Lyle and
Heidi Troyer’s Amish farm. A woman engaged to marry, an expectant mother
estranged from her family, a widowed mom seeking to simplify, a Vietnam
vet who camps on the Troyer’s farm, and an Amish widower make up the
mismatched lot of students.

Class members share details of their
disappointing lives, work to solve a mystery, and stir some romance into
the pot. Soon Heidi’s cooking lessons turn into life lessons as they
each share their challenges. . .and their souls are healed one meal at a
time. Is this what God had in mind when Heidi got the idea for cooking
classes?

About the Author:

New York Times bestselling
and award-winning author, Wanda E. Brunstetter is one of the founders
of the Amish fiction genre. Wanda’s ancestors were part of the
Anabaptist faith, and her novels are based on personal research intended
to accurately portray the Amish way of life. Her books are well-read
and trusted by many Amish, who credit her for giving readers a deeper
understanding of the people and their customs. When Wanda visits her
Amish friends, she finds herself drawn to their peaceful lifestyle,
sincerity, and close family ties.

Wanda enjoys photography,
ventriloquism, gardening, bird-watching, beachcombing, and spending time
with her family. She and her husband, Richard, have been blessed with
two grown children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
To learn more about Wanda, visit her website at www.wandabrunstetter.com.

About Me

Faith and family are my highest priorities. My faith is in God. Without His strength for my life -- well I just wouldn't make it! My family includes my pastor husband, an adult son, an adult daughter and son-in-law, and the most precious grandsons and granddaughter there are! I retired after teaching high school math for 34 years.